Abt NB, et al. - Researchers analyzed the impact of anemia (defined as <39% in men or <36% hematocrit in women) on surgical complications of the head and neck in this investigation using data on head and neck cancer operations from the 2006 to 2013 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program databases. Investigators found that major head and neck surgery subjects had a 44.2% incidence of anemia. In anemic vs non-anemic patients, there were higher rates of wound dehiscence, pneumonia, and myocardial infarction. According to findings, anemia has been linked to increased morbidity at a hematocrit <27%. For overall morbidity, an inverse dose-dependent effect of decreasing hematocrit was noted.